BAT MITZVAH MESSAGENow that the dust has settled a bit, I wanted to send you a quick 'thank you" for helping to make last Saturday so special for Hannah and our whole family. All the time and effort that you spent with her clearly showed and the way in which you helped her to understand and embrace the whole process was not lost on any of us. Hannah is so happy that she chose to have a bat mitzvah ceremony and is very proud of her accomplishments (as are we!). Your patience, compassion and dedication to your students is so obvious as one watches them in front of the Torah. On Saturday evening and over the past few days, I have been truly overwhelmed by the comments that so many of our guests have made to us about how inviting and warm and personal the service was. Both our Jewish and non-Jewish family and friends felt very welcome and comfortable during the service in a way that they have not during other religious services that they have attended.

We will be following up with a more formal "thank you", but I wanted to make sure too much time did not go by before I acknowledged how much your guidance has meant to our family. Thank you for making the ceremony to celebrate Hannah's becoming a bat mitzvah so very special for all of us.

Sharing a few thoughts and feelings about Rabbi Birdie Becker
Our family had interviewed and worked with several Hebrew tutors before deciding upon Rabbi Birdie Becker to be our son's Hebrew tutor. We were never disappointed! Birdie was an amazing teacher. She was committed, making every appointment, never missing a one! She made Jordan feel special, always being available for him during his scheduled time and giving him her full attention throughout the tutoring sessions.She was exceptionally knowledgeable and well- versed regarding so many areas beyond just the Hebrew, including trope, tefilla, Torah, Jewish law and ritual, daily practice, etc. Birdie was an inspiration to our son. She lives what she believes and does so with gentleness and compassion. She was able to adjust her teaching rhythm to that of our son, understanding his needs and abilities and moving him toward ever greater excellence in his accomplishments. We feel honored and blessed to have had her as our son's teacher. To this day at the age of 20 now, his Hebrew continues and he is able to pray and to participate fully in services in a way that we hope will always give meaning to his spiritual life. Our whole family was touched by Birdie and we made sure that she was an integral part of his Bar Mitzvah service. We continue to keep in touch even though we now live 2000 mile away, as she is one of those rare, authentic people that one feels fortunate to know.

Dr. Mary Sokol

Reply

Susannah

7/16/2013 09:32:36 am

I was 17 when I was Bat-Mitzvad (yes, a few years later than most folks) and had the opportunity to prepare for it with Birdie over the course of several months. Birdie prepare me for my big day, but her impact on my life and on my Jewish identity has gone far beyond that. Our time together (studying, learning, discussing, asking questions, and so much more) continues to shape who I am as a person and as a Jew.

Not only did Birdie make sure that my Bat-Mitzvah process was uniquely mine, she also worked closely with my family to design a service that was uniquely ours.

I was blessed to have had the opportunity to study with Birdie and am so grateful to have her in my life to this day, as a teacher, a mentor, and a guide.

Susannah Hook-Rodgers

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Judy

7/16/2013 09:35:06 am

THANK YOU VERY MUCH
Dear Birdie,
Thank you so much for everything that you have done for ALL the Reaven Bar/Bat Mitzvot - you were the perfect teacher for Nate, Daria and Elliot.
We couldn't have done it without you!
Love,
Judy, Elliot and all

Reply

Jake

7/16/2013 09:35:45 am

While I wasn't tutored by her, nor did she help me with my D'Var, what she DID do was provide me with two years (6th and 7th) of amazing, and insightful Jewish Education of all sorts, History, Culture, Old and new traditions, and even a little bit of Hebrew here and there, Not only was she a teacher, she was also someone who you could talk to, kind, and patient. If you needed someone to be a friend for you, you could always count on Birdie.
Thanks so much for everything you have done.
Jake Gabel

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Alan

7/16/2013 09:36:34 am

Alan After Dark
Rabbi Birdie Becker
January 26 at 2:25pm · ..I'm listening to you as I write this... from your Apples & Honey page... Yes..... Alan After Dark

...Speaking for myself (and I know Esther too) we so appreciate the warm welcome we receive from you every year! And (Rabbi) Birdie does such a splendid job!!
I so enjoy the ser-vice and the temple itself, so beautiful—so intimate and warm and inviting.

Rabbi Becker went above and beyond in our son's naming ceremony. She specialized it to include all of our family members and wrote an entire ceremony that was catered to our needs. It was executed beautifully and felt very special. Thank you so much Rabbi!! You really made that a memorable experience for us.

Reply

roberta becker

6/1/2015 02:02:04 pm

Birdie Becker My pleasure. I enjoyed getting to know your family a bit and look forward to seeing you all again.
Like · Reply · May 27 at 7:20pm
Timothy Clement She knows her stuff, I am happy Birdie can teach me a about the Torah.
Unlike · Reply · 1 · May 27 at 7:49pm
Birdie Becker Thanks, Tim.
Like · Reply · May 27 at 8:21pm
Carol Zeles Birdie has always made everything she is involved in special!
Unlike · Reply · 1 · May 27 at 8:24pm
Birdie Becker Thank you, Carol. BTW, I love seeing the pictures of your grandkids.
Like · Reply · 1 · May 27 at 8:26pm
Timothy Clement smile emoticon!
Like · Reply · May 27 at 8:59pm

Reply

Eric

9/8/2015 08:42:01 am

Rabbi Becker was great. She was on time, available, flexible, and helpful. She walked us through a traditional ceremony and explained the meaning of the different activities, then we chose what we wanted to include. She was also helpful in approving/providing translations/explanations for our Ketubah and ceremony programs. After only meeting her one time in person due to our busy schedules, she did a great job during her commentary showing that she took interest in our lives. It made it seem like we had known her for much longer than we had. Thank you!

Reply

Shelley

11/30/2015 05:17:53 pm

Dear Rabbi,
We sent a donation to your congregation with this note: Please accept this donation to be used at Rabbi Becker's discretion for the benefit of the congregation. We are making this contribution in honor of Rabbi Birdie who made such an amazing contribution to my daughter's life and to her bat mitzvah. May Rabbi's light continue to shine so brightly on all those she touches for many, many years to come.